Contractor Failed To Pay 21 Workers Any Wages For Several Weeks of Work
NEW YORK – July 9, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced the resolution of an investigation into non-payment of wages by Stonehenge Restoration Inc. (“Stonehenge”) and its owners and managers, Sulajman Koci and Witold Matejkowski, on constructions projects located in Manhattan and Brooklyn. The Attorney General’s agreement requires Stonehenge to pay back wages and liquidated damages totaling $76,429.81.
“The most basic right as a worker is to be paid for your labor,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “Hard working New Yorkers deserve to be treated fairly and my office will continue to hold companies accountable when they fail to pay wages to their employees.”
“I want to again thank Attorney General Schneiderman for taking the lead in fighting wage theft. Unfortunately wage theft is a problem that is running rampart throughout the construction industry,” said Robert Bonanza, Business Manager of the Mason Tenders District Council of Greater New York. “Hard working men and women expect nothing more than a fair day’s pay for a fair’s day’s work. Once again Attorney General Scheinderman and his office have sent a message loud and clear – wage theft will not be tolerated in New York.”
Between January 2014 and March 2015, Stonehenge failed to pay any wages to 21 workers for construction work performed at private job sites in Brooklyn and Manhattan. The workers were not paid for periods of work ranging from 2 to 6 weeks. While two employees are owed approximately $6,000.00, the majority of the workers are owed between $2,500.00 and $4,000.0 in unpaid wages. In addition to paying restitution, Stonehenge must designate an internal monitor and submit compliance reports to the Attorney General’s Office.
New York State law requires that all employees on private construction jobs be paid for all hours worked within seven days of the workweek when their wages are earned.
Since 2011, Attorney General Schneiderman has successfully returned more than $20.5 million in restitution to more than 17,000 workers across New York, and recovered more than $2 million in restitution and penalties for the state.
The Attorney General thanks the Laborers’ Eastern Region Organizing Fund for referring the case to his office.
The investigation was conducted by New York Attorney General Investigator Edward Ortiz, Senior Investigator Lawrence Riccio and Supervising Investigator Luis Carter under the supervision of Chief Dominick Zarrella.
The case was handled by Assistant Attorney General Benjamin Holt, with the assistance of Section Chief Richard Balletta. Terri Gerstein is the Labor Bureau Chief, and Alvin Bragg is the Executive Deputy Attorney for Social Justice.
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